Communication method, communication apparatus, storage medium, and program product

Abstract

Provided are a communication method, a communication apparatus, a storage medium, and a program product. The method comprises: receiving first information, wherein the first information is used for indicating related information of a difference, and the difference is a difference between a propagation delay of a first satellite and a propagation delay of a second satellite, and / or a difference between a propagation distance of the first satellite and a propagation distance of the second satellite; and on the basis of the first information, using a first function, wherein the first function is used by a terminal to determine a beam of a cell of the second satellite on the basis of the timing and / or a beam of a cell of the first satellite. Provided is an approach for using the first function in an NTN scenario. Thus, in the NTN scenario, when the terminal performs beam-level measurement, a beam of a cell can be determined without decoding a reference signal, thereby reducing the computational load during beam-level measurement and reducing the complexity of beam-level measurement.

Description

Communication method, communication apparatus, storage medium and program product

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202411325439.1, filed on September 20, 2024, entitled "Communication method, communication apparatus, storage medium and program product", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication, in particular to a communication method, a communication apparatus, a storage medium and a program product. BACKGROUND

[0003] Radio resource management (RRM) measurement can be used for a terminal to monitor the communication quality of a serving cell and / or a non-serving cell (also referred to as a neighbor cell), so as to perform cell switching or cell reselection according to actual needs. The RRM measurement can be divided into cell-level measurement and beam-level measurement. In the beam-level measurement, the terminal measures and reports relevant information of one or more beams of a cell (including a serving cell and / or a neighbor cell), which includes, for example, the index of the beam, the measurement result of the beam, etc. It can be seen that in the beam-level measurement, the terminal needs to report the index of the beam, and therefore, the terminal needs to confirm the index of the beam.

[0004] In a non-terrestrial network (NTN) scenario, the distance between a satellite and a terminal is large, and the distance between different satellites and terminals is usually not negligible. Therefore, the time delay between different satellites and terminals is different. As a result, in the RRM measurement, the terminal may be relatively complex to confirm the index of the beam, and thus the complexity of the beam-level measurement is high. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a communication method, a communication apparatus, a storage medium and a program product, so as to reduce the amount of calculation in the beam-level measurement process, and thus reduce the complexity.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be performed by a first communication apparatus. The first communication apparatus can be a terminal, a communication module in the terminal, a circuit or a chip (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system on chip (SoC) chip or a system in package (SIP) chip containing a modem core) responsible for communication functions in the terminal, and the present application does not limit the first communication apparatus. Hereinafter, the method is taken as an example of being performed by a terminal.

[0007] Exemplarily, the method comprises: receiving first information, the first information being used to indicate related information of a difference, the difference being a difference between a propagation delay of a first satellite and a propagation delay of a second satellite, and / or a difference between a propagation distance of the first satellite and a propagation distance of the second satellite; and based on the first information, using a first function, the first function being used for the terminal to determine a beam of a cell of the second satellite based on a timing / or a beam of a cell of the first satellite.

[0008] In the above technical solution, the terminal can use the first function based on the related information of the difference between the propagation delay of the first satellite and the propagation delay of the second satellite and / or the difference between the propagation distances, that is, the terminal can determine the beam of the cell of the second satellite based on the timing or the beam of the cell of the first satellite, which provides a way of using the first function in the NTN scenario, and thus when the terminal performs beam-level measurement in the NTN scenario, the terminal can determine the beam of the cell of the second satellite without decoding the reference signal, thereby saving the calculation amount in the beam-level measurement process and reducing the complexity of the beam-level measurement.

[0009] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementation manners of the first aspect, the first information indicates one or more of the following: difference information, change amount information, fluctuation information of the change amount, a time period during which the change amount of the difference remains constant, a validity period of the change amount of the difference, or a validity period of the first function, the difference information being used to indicate the difference, the change amount information being used to indicate the change amount of the difference, and the fluctuation information of the change amount being used to indicate the fluctuation of the change amount of the difference.

[0010] For example, the fluctuation of the change amount of the difference includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: a range of fluctuation, a size of fluctuation, or a regularity of fluctuation.

[0011] The first information indicates the related information of the difference, and the terminal does not need to calculate the related information, which reduces the calculation amount of the terminal, reduces the complexity, and saves power consumption. In addition, the first information indicates the validity period of the change amount of the difference, or the validity period of the first function, etc., which is convenient for different needs. In other words, the network device can adjust the validity period of the change amount of the difference, or the validity period of the first function according to the needs, which is beneficial to improve the flexibility.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementation manners of the first aspect, the first function is used based on the first information, including: the first function is used in the following one or more cases: located in a time period in which the change amount of the difference remains constant; located in a validity period of the change amount of the difference; located in a validity period of the first function; or, the fluctuation of the change amount of the difference is less than or equal to a first threshold.

[0013] In the above scheme, the first function is flexibly used according to different conditions, so that in the NTN scenario, even if the timing between the cell of the first satellite and the cell of the second satellite does not meet the condition of enabling the first function (for example, the timing of the cell of the first satellite and the timing of the cell of the second satellite are the same or the deviation is within a preset range) from the perspective of the terminal, the first function can be used based on the first information to save the calculation amount of the beam-level measurement process, and further reduce the complexity of the beam-level measurement.

[0014] In the second aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a first communication device. The first communication device can be a terminal, a communication module in the terminal, a circuit or a chip (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a SoC chip or a SIP chip containing a modem core) responsible for communication functions in the terminal, which is not limited in the present application. Hereinafter, the method executed by the terminal is taken as an example.

[0015] Exemplarily, the method comprises: receiving second information, the second information indicating satellite ephemeris; using a first function based on the second information, the first function being used for the terminal to determine a beam of a cell of a second satellite based on a timing / or a beam of a cell of a first satellite.

[0016] In the above technical solution, the terminal can use the first function based on the satellite ephemeris, that is, the terminal can determine the beam of the cell of the second satellite based on the timing or the beam of the cell of the first satellite, which provides a way to use the first function in the NTN scenario, and further in the NTN scenario, when the terminal performs beam-level measurement, the terminal can determine the beam of the cell of the second satellite without decoding the reference signal, thereby saving the calculation amount in the beam-level measurement process and reducing the complexity of the beam-level measurement.

[0017] In a possible implementation form of the second aspect, the determining the first information based on the second information comprises: determining the first information based on the second information, the first information comprising information of the difference between the propagation delay of the first satellite and the propagation delay of the second satellite and / or the difference between the propagation distance of the first satellite and the propagation distance of the second satellite; and using the first function based on the first information.

[0018] The terminal can determine the information of the difference between the propagation delay of the first satellite and the propagation delay of the second satellite and / or the difference between the propagation distance of the first satellite and the propagation distance of the second satellite according to the satellite ephemeris, which is beneficial to obtain more real-time information of the difference, and thus facilitates the terminal to use the first function more accurately. In addition, the network device does not need to calculate and indicate the information of the difference between the propagation delay of the first satellite and the propagation delay of the second satellite and / or the difference between the propagation distance of the first satellite and the propagation distance of the second satellite, which is beneficial to reduce the complexity and signaling overhead of the network device.

[0019] In a possible implementation form of the second aspect, the first information comprises one or more of the following: difference information, change amount information, or fluctuation information of the change amount, wherein the difference information is used to indicate the difference, the change amount information is used to indicate the change amount of the difference, and the fluctuation information of the change amount is used to indicate the fluctuation of the change amount of the difference.

[0020] The fluctuation of the change amount of the difference may, for example, include but is not limited to one or more of the following: a range of fluctuation, a size of fluctuation, or a law of fluctuation.

[0021] The terminal determines the information of the difference, such as the difference information, the change amount information, or the fluctuation information of the change amount, according to the satellite ephemeris, so as to use the first function based on the information, so that even if the timing between the cell of the first satellite and the cell of the second satellite does not meet the condition for enabling the first function (for example, the timing of the cell of the first satellite and the timing of the cell of the second satellite are the same or the deviation is within a preset range) from the perspective of the terminal in the NTN scenario, the first function can be used based on the first information, so as to save the calculation amount of the beam-level measurement process and thus reduce the complexity of the beam-level measurement.

[0022] In a possible implementation form of the second aspect, the using the first function based on the first information comprises: using the first function in one or more of the following cases: within a time period during which the change amount of the difference remains constant; the fluctuation of the change amount of the difference is less than or equal to a first threshold; the change amount of the difference is less than or equal to a second threshold; or, the time period during which the change amount of the difference remains constant is greater than or equal to a third threshold.

[0023] The first function is flexibly used according to different conditions, so that in the NTN scenario, even if the timing between the cell of the first satellite and the cell of the second satellite does not meet the condition for enabling the first function (for example, the timing of the cell of the first satellite and the timing of the cell of the second satellite are the same or the deviation is within a preset range) from the perspective of the terminal, the first function can be used based on the first information to save the calculation amount of the beam-level measurement process, thereby reducing the complexity of the beam-level measurement.

[0024] Optionally, the first threshold, the second threshold, and the third threshold are predefined or indicated by the network device.

[0025] In a possible design, the first threshold, the second threshold, and the third threshold are predefined, which facilitates reduction of signaling overhead. In another possible design, the first threshold, the second threshold, and the third threshold are indicated by the network device, that is, the network device can flexibly configure the parameters through signaling, which facilitates improvement of flexibility of the parameters.

[0026] With reference to the first aspect and the second aspect, in some possible implementation manners, the method further includes: adjusting the timing of the cell of the first satellite and / or the cell of the second satellite based on the difference value information and the change amount information, or based on the difference value information and fluctuation information of the change amount.

[0027] The timing of the cell of the first satellite and the timing of the cell of the second satellite are adjusted based on the difference value information and the change amount information, or based on the difference value information and fluctuation information of the change amount, so that the timing of the cell of the first satellite and the timing of the cell of the second satellite meet the condition for enabling the first function, for example, the timing of the cell of the first satellite and the timing of the cell of the second satellite are the same or the deviation is within a preset range, thereby facilitating the terminal to use the first function. In this way, in the NTN scenario, the terminal can also use the first function to save the calculation amount of the beam-level measurement process, thereby reducing the complexity of the beam-level measurement.

[0028] With reference to the first aspect and the second aspect, in some possible implementation manners, the method further includes: sending capability information, where the capability information is used to indicate whether the terminal supports adjusting the use of the first function.

[0029] That is, the terminal can indicate to the network device whether the use of the first function is dynamically adjusted, so that the terminal side and the network side can align whether the use of the first function is dynamically adjusted, so that the network device indicates the first information or the second information to the terminal in a case where the use of the first function is dynamically adjusted by the terminal, reduces unnecessary signaling overhead, and reduces the complexity of the network side. In addition, the terminal can flexibly select whether to support dynamic adjustment of the use of the first function, which facilitates improvement of flexibility.

[0030] With reference to the first aspect and the second aspect, in some possible implementation, the method further includes: in a case where the first function is enabled, the terminal uses the first function, and in the RRM measurement process, measurement is performed based on a first measurement index; or, in a case where the terminal does not use the first function, the terminal does not use the first function, and in the RRM measurement process, measurement is performed based on a second measurement index, the first measurement index and the second measurement index being different.

[0031] That is, in a case where the first function is enabled at the network side, or in a case where the first function is turned on at the network side, the terminal can also determine whether to use the first function according to actual conditions, which is beneficial to improve the flexibility of use of the first function. When the terminal uses the first function, measurement is performed based on a first measurement index; when the terminal does not use the first function, measurement is performed based on a second measurement index.

[0032] With reference to the first aspect and the second aspect, in some possible implementation, the first function is used by the terminal to determine a beam of a cell of a second satellite based on a timing of a cell of a first satellite, including: the first function is used by the terminal to determine a beam of a cell of the first satellite based on the timing of the cell of the first satellite, and determine a beam of a cell of the second satellite based on the beam of the cell of the first satellite.

[0033] With reference to the first aspect and the second aspect, in some possible implementation, the reference signal of the beam is a synchronization signal block (SSB), and the determination of the beam of the cell of the second satellite based on the beam of the cell of the first satellite includes: determination of an SSB index of the cell of the second satellite based on an SSB index of the cell of the first satellite.

[0034] The type of the reference signal is an example of SSB, which should not constitute any limitation to the present application. For example, the reference signal of the beam can also be a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

[0035] With reference to the first aspect and the second aspect, in some possible implementation, the first satellite is a serving satellite of the terminal, and the cell of the first satellite includes a serving cell of the terminal; or, the first satellite and the second satellite are non-serving satellites of the terminal, and the cell of the first satellite and the cell of the second satellite include non-serving cells of the terminal.

[0036] The serving satellite can be understood as a satellite to which a serving cell of the terminal belongs, or a satellite that provides coverage of a serving cell of the terminal, and the like.

[0037] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a second communication device. The second communication device can be a network device, a component (such as a processor, a chip, a chip system, etc.) configured in the network device, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device, which is not limited in the present application. In the following, the method is taken as an example executed by the network device.

[0038] Exemplarily, the method comprises: sending first information, the first information being used for indicating information related to a difference, the difference being a difference between a propagation delay of a first satellite and a propagation delay of a second satellite, and / or a difference between a propagation distance of the first satellite and a propagation distance of the second satellite.

[0039] The network device indicates the information related to the difference, so that the terminal can use the first function based on the related information, that is, the terminal can determine the beam of the cell of the second satellite based on the timing or the beam of the cell of the first satellite, which provides a way of using the first function in the NTN scenario, and thus when the terminal performs the beam-level measurement in the NTN scenario, the terminal can determine the beam of the cell of the second satellite without decoding the reference signal, thereby saving the calculation amount in the beam-level measurement process and reducing the complexity of the beam-level measurement. In addition, in the above scheme, the terminal does not need to calculate the related information, which is beneficial to reduce the calculation amount of the terminal, thereby reducing the complexity and saving the power consumption.

[0040] In combination with the third aspect, in some possible implementation manners of the third aspect, the first information indicates one or more of the following: difference information, change amount information, change amount fluctuation information, a time period during which the change amount of the difference remains constant, a validity period of the change amount of the difference, or a validity period of the first function, the difference information being used for indicating the difference, the change amount information being used for indicating the change amount of the difference, and the change amount fluctuation information being used for indicating the fluctuation of the change amount of the difference.

[0041] For example, the fluctuation of the change amount of the difference includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: a fluctuation range, a fluctuation size, or a fluctuation rule.

[0042] By indicating the information related to the difference through the first information, the terminal does not need to calculate the related information, which is beneficial to reduce the calculation amount of the terminal, thereby reducing the complexity and saving the power consumption. In addition, the first information indicates the validity period of the change amount of the difference or the validity period of the first function, etc., which is beneficial to adapt to different requirements, in other words, the network device can adjust the validity period of the change amount of the difference or the validity period of the first function according to the requirements, thereby improving the flexibility.

[0043] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the method further includes: receiving capability information, the capability information being used to indicate whether the terminal supports adjusting the use of the first function.

[0044] That is, the terminal can indicate to the network device whether the terminal supports adjusting the use of the first function, so that the terminal side and the network side can align whether the terminal supports adjusting the use of the first function, so that the network device indicates the first information or the second information to the terminal in the case that the terminal supports adjusting the use of the first function, reduces unnecessary signaling overhead, and reduces network side complexity.

[0045] In a possible implementation of the first aspect to the third aspect, the propagation delay of the first satellite is a propagation delay between the first satellite and the network device + a propagation delay between the first satellite and the terminal, and the propagation delay of the second satellite is a propagation delay between the second satellite and the network device + a propagation delay between the second satellite and the terminal; or, the propagation delay of the first satellite is a propagation delay between the first satellite and the terminal, and the propagation delay of the second satellite is a propagation delay between the second satellite and the terminal.

[0046] In a possible implementation of the first aspect to the third aspect, the propagation distance of the first satellite is a propagation distance between the first satellite and the network device + a propagation distance between the first satellite and the terminal, and the propagation distance of the second satellite is a propagation distance between the second satellite and the network device + a propagation distance between the second satellite and the terminal; or, the propagation distance of the first satellite is a propagation distance between the first satellite and the terminal, and the propagation distance of the second satellite is a propagation distance between the second satellite and the terminal.

[0047] In a possible implementation of the first aspect to the third aspect, the propagation distance of the first satellite is a propagation distance between the first satellite and the network device + a propagation distance between the first satellite and the terminal, and the propagation distance of the second satellite is a propagation distance between the second satellite and the network device + a propagation distance between the second satellite and the terminal; or, the propagation distance of the first satellite is a propagation distance between the first satellite and the terminal, and the propagation distance of the second satellite is a propagation distance between the second satellite and the terminal.

[0048] In a possible implementation of the first aspect to the third aspect, the propagation distance of the first satellite is a propagation distance between the first satellite and the network device + a propagation distance between the first satellite and the terminal, and the propagation distance of the second satellite is a propagation distance between the second satellite and the network device + a propagation distance between the second satellite and the terminal; or, the propagation distance of the first satellite is a propagation distance between the first satellite and the terminal, and the propagation distance of the second satellite is a propagation distance between the second satellite and the terminal.

[0049] In a possible implementation of the first aspect to the third aspect, the propagation distance of the first satellite is a propagation distance between the first satellite and the network device + a propagation distance between the first satellite and the terminal, and the propagation distance of the second satellite is a propagation distance between the second satellite and the network device + a propagation distance between the second satellite and the terminal; or, the propagation distance of the first satellite is a propagation distance between the first satellite and the terminal, and the propagation distance of the second satellite is a propagation distance between the second satellite and the terminal.

[0050] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus, including a processor, which is configured to execute the method in the first aspect to the third aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect to the third aspect.

[0051] Optionally, the apparatus can further include a memory for storing instructions and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, and when the processor executes the program (or instructions) stored in the memory, the method described in the above aspects can be implemented.

[0052] Optionally, the apparatus can further include a communication interface, which is configured to enable the apparatus to communicate with other apparatuses. For example, the communication interface can be a transceiver, a circuit, a bus, a module, a pin, or other types of communication interfaces.

[0053] In a possible design, the communication apparatus provided by the fifth aspect can be a terminal, a communication module in the terminal, or a chip (such as a modem chip or an SoC or SIP chip including a modem core) responsible for communication functions in the terminal.

[0054] In another possible design, the communication apparatus provided by the fifth aspect can be a network device, or a component (such as a chip, a chip system, or a processor) configured in the network device.

[0055] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a chip system, including at least one processor, which is configured to support implementation of functions related to the above-mentioned first aspect to the third aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect to the third aspect, for example, receiving or processing data and / or information related to the above-mentioned methods.

[0056] In a possible design, the chip system further includes a memory, which is configured to store program instructions and data. The memory is located in the processor or outside the processor.

[0057] The chip system can be composed of a chip, or include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0058] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a computer readable storage medium, including a computer program or instructions, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to implement the method in the first aspect to the third aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect to the third aspect.

[0059] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, including a computer program or instructions (also referred to as code), which, when executed, causes a computer to execute the method in the first aspect to the third aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect to the third aspect.

[0060] In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a communication system, comprising the first communication device and the second communication device as described above, wherein the first communication device is configured to implement the method in the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect, and the second communication device is configured to implement the method in the third aspect and any possible implementation of the third aspect.

[0061] The fourth aspect to the ninth aspect of the present application correspond to the technical solutions of the first aspect to the third aspect of the present application, and the beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding possible implementation manner are similar, which will not be described again. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0062] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an NTN architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an NTN cell provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of beamforming provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a function for reducing complexity of a terminal in a beam-level measurement process provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an influence of a propagation delay on a cell provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a system architecture suitable for the method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] FIG. 7 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0069] FIG. 8 is another schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0070] FIG. 9 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0071] FIG. 10 is another schematic block diagram of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0072] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a terminal chip provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0073] FIG. 12 is another schematic diagram of a terminal chip provided by an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0074] The technical solutions in the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0075] In order to facilitate understanding of the method provided by the present application, the following points will be explained first.

[0076] First, in order to facilitate clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, the terms "first", "second", etc. are used to distinguish the same or similar items with basically the same function and role. For example, the first information and the second information are only used to distinguish different information, and do not limit the order. Those skilled in the art can understand that the terms "first", "second", etc. do not limit the quantity and execution order, and the terms "first", "second", etc. also do not necessarily mean different.

[0077] Second, in the embodiments shown in the present application, each term and English abbreviation, such as channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), synchronization signal block (SSB), or non-terrestrial network (NTN), is an example for convenient description, and should not be limited by the present application. The present application does not exclude the possibility of defining other terms that can achieve the same or similar functions in existing or future protocols.

[0078] Third, the "protocol" involved in the embodiments of the present application can refer to a standard protocol in the communication field, which can include LTE protocol, NR protocol and related protocols applied in future communication systems, and the present application does not limit this.

[0079] Fourth, in the present application, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. The "and / or" describes the association relationship between the associated objects, which means that there can be three kinds of relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can represent the following cases: A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after it. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions means any combination of these items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b and c can represent: a, or b, or c, or a and b, or a and c, or b and c, or a, b and c, where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0080] Fifthly, in the present application, "indication" can include direct indication and indirect indication, and can also include explicit indication and implicit indication. The information indicated by certain information is referred to as to-be-indicated information, and there are many ways to indicate the to-be-indicated information in the specific implementation process, for example but not limited to, the to-be-indicated information can be directly indicated, such as the to-be-indicated information itself or the index of the to-be-indicated information. The to-be-indicated information can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, where the other information and the to-be-indicated information have an association relationship; only a part of the to-be-indicated information can be indicated, and the other part of the to-be-indicated information is known or agreed in advance, for example, the arrangement order of each information agreed in advance (for example, protocol predefined) can be used to indicate a specific information, thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent. The specific manner of indication is not limited in the present application. It can be understood that the indication information can be used to indicate the to-be-indicated information for the sender of the indication information, and the indication information can be used to determine the to-be-indicated information for the receiver of the indication information.

[0081] Sixthly, in the present application, the communication between different devices can mean direct communication between different devices (that is, without the need for other devices to transfer or forward), or can also mean that different devices communicate through other devices (that is, the need for other devices to transfer or forward), or can also mean that the functional units inside the device communicate with other devices through another functional unit.

[0082] "Transmit" and "receive" represent the direction of signal transmission. For example, "transmitting information to a terminal" can be understood as that the destination of the information is the terminal, which can include direct transmission through the air interface, and also includes indirect transmission through the air interface by other units or modules. "Receiving information from a network device" can be understood as that the source of the information is the network device, which can include direct reception from the network device through the air interface, and can also include indirect reception from the network device through the air interface from other units or modules. "Transmit" can also be understood as "output" of the chip interface, and "receive" can also be understood as "input" of the chip interface.

[0083] In other words, transmission and reception can be between devices, for example, between a network device and a terminal; or can be within a device, for example, between components, modules, chips, software modules or hardware modules within a device through a bus, wire or interface.

[0084] It can be understood that the information may be processed as necessary before being transmitted from the source to the destination, such as encoding, modulation, etc., and the destination can also perform corresponding processing after receiving the information from the source, such as decoding, demodulation, etc., so as to interpret the effective information from the source. Similar expressions in the present application can be similarly understood, and will not be repeated here.

[0085] Seventhly, in the present application, the descriptions such as “when”, “in the case of”, “if”, and “whether” all refer to the objective situation that the device (such as a network device or a terminal) will make corresponding processing, not the time limit, and also does not require the device (such as a network device or a terminal) to have a judgment action when it is implemented, nor does it mean that there are other limitations.

[0086] Eighthly, in the present application, predefinition can also be understood as definition, predefinition, storage, pre-storage, pre-negotiation, pre-configuration, solidification, or pre-burning, etc.

[0087] Ninthly, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal and / or network device can perform some or all of the steps in the embodiments. These steps or operations are only examples, and the embodiments of the present application can also perform other operations or variations of various operations. In addition, each step can be executed in a different order according to the embodiments presented, and it is possible that not all operations in the embodiments of the present application are executed. Moreover, the size of the serial number of each step does not mean the order of execution, the execution order of each process should be determined according to its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0088] In addition, the embodiments shown below can be combined.

[0089] Tenthly, the method provided by the present application can be applied to an NTN communication system, and can also be applied to other communication systems, such as a long term evolution (LTE) system, a 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system or a new radio access technology (NR), or a future communication system, etc. The present application does not limit this.

[0090] In order to facilitate understanding of the method provided by the present application, the following will first explain the terms related to the present application in detail.

[0091] 1. NTN: Compared with ground network communication (or land communication), NTN communication has the advantages of large coverage area and flexible networking. NTN communication includes networking by using devices such as unmanned aerial vehicles, high altitude platform stations (HAPS), satellites, etc., to provide data transmission, voice communication, etc. services for terminals.

[0092] HAPS is mainly carried on an airborne platform, for example, including but not limited to: an airplane, a balloon, or an airship, etc.

[0093] The satellite can be a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite, a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite, or a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, etc.

[0094] Among them, the GEO satellite, also known as the synchronous orbit satellite, has the advantage of GEO satellite communication that it can remain relatively stationary on the ground and provide a larger coverage area.

[0095] The advantage of MEO satellite communication is that global coverage can be achieved with relatively fewer number of satellites. MEO satellites are mainly used for positioning and navigation.

[0096] LEO satellites have lower orbital altitudes than MEO and GEO satellites, with the advantages of small data propagation delay, small transmission loss, and relatively low launch cost.

[0097] (1) According to the relationship between the satellite and the base station, the NTN architecture can be divided into a transparent payload and a regenerative payload. The following will introduce the two architectures in detail in combination with FIG. 1.

[0098] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an NTN architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application. a) in FIG. 1 shows a transparent payload, and b) in FIG. 1 shows a regenerative payload.

[0099] As shown in a) in FIG. 1, in the transparent payload, the satellite can be responsible for signal forwarding, but has no data processing capability. The base station (next generation NodeB (gNB)) is located on the ground, and the satellite is connected to the base station through the gateway on the ground. Exemplarily, the signal between the terminal and the base station is forwarded through the satellite, and the base station is responsible for data processing. The link between the satellite and the terminal is called a service link, and the link between the satellite and the base station is called a feeder link.

[0100] As shown in b) in FIG. 1, in the regenerative payload, the satellite has all or part of the functions of the base station, in other words, the satellite can perform data processing. Exemplarily, the complete base station is located on the satellite; or the distributed unit (DU) of the base station is located on the satellite, and the centralized unit (CU) of the base station is located on the ground. The above forms are only examples and should not constitute any limitation on the embodiments of the present application. The link between the satellite / base station and the terminal is called a service link.

[0101] (2) According to the movement of the coverage area of the NTN cell on the ground, the NTN cell can be divided into: earth-fixed, quasi-earth-fixed, and earth-moving. The above three types of NTN cells will be described in detail in combination with FIG. 2.

[0102] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an NTN cell provided by an embodiment of the present application. FIG. 2a) shows an earth-fixed NTN cell, FIG. 2b) shows a quasi-earth-fixed NTN cell, and FIG. 2c) shows an earth-moving NTN cell.

[0103] As shown in FIG. 2a), the coverage area of the earth-fixed NTN cell is fixed to a certain geographical area on the ground, which can also be referred to as continuous point coverage. GEO satellites can provide this type of NTN cell.

[0104] As shown in FIG. 2b), the coverage area of the quasi-earth-fixed NTN cell (such as cell 1 shown in FIG. 2b)) is fixed to a certain geographical area on the ground for a period of time, and will be changed to another geographical area on the ground after a period of time, which can also be referred to as point coverage for a period of time. For example, at t1 and t2, the coverage area of cell 1 is area 1, and at t3, the coverage area of cell 1 is area 2. LEO satellites and MEO satellites can provide this type of NTN cell.

[0105] As shown in FIG. 2c), the coverage area of the earth-moving NTN cell slides on the ground. LEO satellites and MEO satellites can provide this type of NTN cell.

[0106] 2. Beam: Each beam corresponds to an index, which is used to identify the beam, or in other words, to determine the beam. The index of the beam can also be referred to as the identification of the beam, and the present application does not limit the name thereof.

[0107] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of beam forming provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0108] As shown in FIG. 3, the base station can use several beams to sequentially and time-divisionally sweep different areas in the cell to achieve complete coverage of the cell. Each beam corresponds to an index, which is used to uniquely identify the beam. Exemplarily, there are 8 beams in a cell, the base station transmits beam 0 to direction 1 at t1, transmits beam 1 to direction 2 at t2, and so on, and the complete cell coverage is formed by the 8 beams.

[0109] As an example but not limitation, the reference signal of the beam can be SSB or CSI-RS, etc., and the specific type of the reference signal is not limited in the present application. For example, taking SSB as an example, there are 8 SSBs (SSB 0-SSB 7) in the cell shown in FIG. 3, and the base station can periodically transmit the above-mentioned 8 SSBs to different directions in time.

[0110] 3. RRM measurement: which can be used by the terminal to monitor the communication quality of the serving cell and / or non-serving cell, so as to perform cell switching or cell reselection according to actual needs. The RRM measurement can be divided into cell-level measurement and beam-level measurement.

[0111] In the cell-level measurement, the terminal processes the measurement results of one or more beams of a cell to obtain and report the cell-level measurement result of the cell. For example, the terminal measures the quality of each of the beams 0-7, and averages the quality of the above-mentioned beams to obtain the cell-level quality of the cell. The above-mentioned averaging of the quality of one or more beams is only an example, and should not constitute any limitation on the present application. For example, the measurement result of the best beam in the above-mentioned one or more beams can also be reported as the cell-level measurement result of the cell.

[0112] In the beam-level measurement, the terminal measures and reports the relevant information of one or more beams of a cell (including the serving cell and / or non-serving cell), which includes, for example, the index of the beam, the measurement result of the beam, etc.

[0113] It can be seen that in the beam-level measurement, the terminal needs to report the index of the beam, so the terminal needs to confirm the index of the beam. For example, the terminal has the complete timing of the serving cell, and the base station can indicate through signaling which time domain position transmits the beam, and then the terminal can receive and identify the beam (i.e., confirm the index of the beam) at the indicated time domain position, so that the complexity of the terminal to obtain the beam index of the serving cell is low.

[0114] However, the terminal does not have the complete timing of the non-serving cell, so the terminal may need to decode other relevant reference signals or information carried on the reference signal to obtain the index of the beam. For example, for SSB, the terminal needs to decode the demodulation reference signal (DMRS) and / or physical broadcast channel (PBCH) carried on the SSB to obtain the SSB index, wherein the relevant information is carried in the DMRS and PBCH to indicate the index of the current SSB. The calculation amount of this operation is large, resulting in high complexity of the terminal in the beam-level measurement process.

[0115] Currently, there is a function of reducing the complexity of the terminal in the process of beam level measurement. The network device can indicate whether the terminal can derive the beam of the non-serving cell through the timing of the serving cell, and then the terminal does not need to decode the reference signal. Exemplarily, the base station sets the deriveSSB-IndexFromCell field. When the field is set to TRUE, it means that the base station ensures that the frame boundary timing deviation between the non-serving cell and the serving cell is less than or equal to a threshold (in other words, from the terminal side, the timing of the serving cell and the non-serving cell is synchronized, or in other words, the timing deviation between the serving cell and the non-serving cell is less than or equal to the threshold), so that the terminal can derive the beam of the non-serving cell through the timing of the serving cell, such as the terminal can consider that the index of the received beam of the non-serving cell is equal to the index of the beam of the serving cell closest to its receiving time, and then the terminal does not need to decode the reference signal, thereby reducing the amount of calculation and reducing the complexity of the beam level measurement.

[0116] The above function will be described in detail below in conjunction with FIG. 4.

[0117] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the function of reducing the complexity of the terminal in the process of beam level measurement provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0118] As shown in FIG. 4, when the base station configures the deriveSSB-IndexFromCell field as TRUE, the terminal can derive the beam of the non-serving cell through the beam of the serving cell, for example, the terminal can consider that the index of the received beam of the non-serving cell is equal to the index of the beam of the serving cell closest to its receiving time. As shown in FIG. 4, the frame (taking system frame number (SFN) n as an example) boundary timing deviation between the non-serving cell and the serving cell is less than or equal to a threshold, that is, from the terminal side, it can be considered that the timing of the serving cell and the non-serving cell is synchronized, or in other words, the timing deviation between the serving cell and the non-serving cell is less than or equal to the threshold, therefore, the terminal can consider that the three SSB indexes of the non-serving cell are respectively the same as the three SSB indexes of the serving cell closest to its receiving time. For example, the receiving time of SSB 0 of the non-serving cell and SSB 0 of the serving cell is the closest, and the terminal can consider that the received SSB of the non-serving cell is SSB 0.

[0119] It can be understood that in the terrestrial communication, the distance between the base station and the terminal is relatively short, and therefore, the base station ensures that the frame boundary timing deviation of the non-serving cell and the serving cell is less than or equal to the threshold value, and from the terminal side, the timing of the serving cell and the non-serving cell is synchronized. However, in the NTN scenario, the distance between the satellite and the terminal is usually at least hundreds of kilometers, and the distance is not negligible, and therefore, the propagation delay between the satellite and the terminal is not negligible, and the different distances / propagation delays between different satellites and terminals will cause the timing of each cell to be different from the terminal side, and further cause the above function of reducing the complexity in the beam level measurement process to not work properly.

[0120] The influence of the propagation delay on the cell timing in the NTN scenario will be explained in detail below in combination with FIG. 5.

[0121] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the influence of the propagation delay on the cell according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0122] As shown in FIG. 5, from the base station side, the timing of the satellites of the cell 1 and the cell 2 is synchronized, that is, the timing of the cell 1 and the cell 2 is synchronized. However, the timing of the cell 1 and the cell 2 from the terminal side needs to consider the propagation delay (s1 and s2) between the two satellites and the terminal, and therefore, the cell 1 and the cell 2 are not synchronized (or not aligned) from the terminal side, and as shown in FIG. 5, the boundary of the frames received by the terminal from the two cells is deviated (s=s2-s1). Therefore, the above function of reducing the complexity in the beam level measurement process cannot be used.

[0123] It should be understood that in FIG. 5, the regenerative architecture is taken as an example, that is, the satellite has all or part of the functions of the base station, and in this architecture, the propagation delay of the satellite 1 is the propagation delay between the satellite 1 and the terminal, and the propagation delay of the satellite 2 is the propagation delay between the satellite 2 and the terminal, and similarly, the propagation distance of the satellite 1 is the distance between the satellite 1 and the terminal, and the propagation distance of the satellite 2 is the distance between the satellite 2 and the terminal. However, this should not constitute any limitation on the present application. For example, it can also be applicable to the transparent architecture, as shown in a) of FIG. 1, and in this architecture, the propagation delay of the satellite 1 is the propagation delay between the base station and the satellite 1 + the propagation delay between the satellite 1 and the terminal, and similarly, the propagation distance of the satellite 1 is the distance between the base station and the satellite 1 + the distance between the satellite 1 and the terminal.

[0124] Since the above function cannot be used in the NTN scenario, for the non-serving cell, the terminal may need to decode other related reference signals or information carried on the reference signals to obtain the index of the beam, and the calculation amount of this operation is large, resulting in high complexity of the terminal in the beam level measurement process.

[0125] To reduce the complexity of the terminal in the beam level measurement process, the application provides a communication method. The terminal can use a first function based on the related information of the difference between the propagation delay of the first satellite and the propagation delay of the second satellite and / or the difference between the propagation distances, that is, the terminal can determine the beam of the cell of the second satellite based on the timing or beam of the cell of the first satellite. A method for using the above-mentioned first function in the NTN scenario is provided. Therefore, in the NTN scenario, when the terminal performs beam level measurement, it can determine the beam of the cell of the second satellite without decoding the reference signal, thereby saving the calculation amount in the beam level measurement process and reducing the complexity of the beam level measurement.

[0126] To facilitate understanding of the method provided by the embodiments of the application, the system architecture applicable to the method provided by the embodiments of the application will be described below. Understandably, the system architecture described in the embodiments of the application is to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the application, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the application.

[0127] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a system architecture applicable to the method provided by the embodiments of the application.

[0128] As shown in FIG. 6, the system includes a 5th generation (5G) core network (5G core, 5GC) and a wireless access network (next generation radio access network, NG-RAN), the 5GC includes core network devices 610 and core network devices 620, which can be access and mobility management functions (AMF) / user plane functions (UPF), for example. The NG-RAN includes access network devices 630 to 660, which can be gNBs and / or evolved Node Bs (eNBs), for example, the access network devices 630 and 640 are gNBs, and the access network devices 650 and 660 are eNBs. The plurality of access network devices can be connected to each other through an Xn interface, and the plurality of access network devices can be connected to the 5GC through an NG interface, more specifically, connected to the AMF through an N2 interface and connected to the UPF through an N3 interface.

[0129] It should be understood that FIG. 6 is only an example showing two core network devices and four access network devices, but this should not constitute any limitation on the application. The number of each device can be one or more. The access network devices connected to the same core network can be one or more.

[0130] It should also be understood that, although not shown in FIG. 6, one or more terminals can be connected to each access network device, and the terminals can be in communication with the access network device.

[0131] In the present application, a terminal can also be referred to as a user equipment (UE), an access terminal, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a mobile, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal device, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user equipment.

[0132] A terminal can be a device that provides voice / data connectivity to a user, such as a handheld device with wireless connectivity, a vehicle-mounted device, etc. Currently, some examples of terminal devices can be a mobile phone, a tablet, a computer with wireless transceiver function (such as a notebook, a palmtop, etc.), a mobile internet device (MID), a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical treatment, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal in a 5G network, or a terminal in a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN), a laptop computer, a machine type communication (MTC) terminal, etc.

[0133] In addition, the terminal can also be a terminal in an internet of things (IoT) system. IoT is an important part of future information technology development, and its main technical feature is to connect objects through communication technology and network, so as to realize the intelligent network of man-machine interconnection and interconnection. IoT technology can achieve mass connection, deep coverage and terminal power saving through, for example, narrow band (NB) technology.

[0134] In addition, the terminal can also include intelligent printers, train detectors, gas station sensors, and the like, and the main functions include collecting data (part of terminal devices), receiving control information and downlink data of the access network device, and transmitting electromagnetic waves to transmit uplink data to the access network device.

[0135] The access network (AN) device can also be referred to as a wireless access network device, a network device, and the like. The access network device can include, for example, but is not limited to, a radio network controller (RNC), an eNB, a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a home base station (for example, a home evolved node B, or a home node B, HNB), a baseband unit (BBU), an access point (AP) in a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system, a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node, a transmission point (TP), or a transmission and reception point (TRP), and the like, and can also be a gNB or a transmission point (TRP or TP) in a 5G (such as a new radio access technology (NR)) system, one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in a 5G system, or a network node constituting a gNB or a transmission point, such as a baseband unit (BBU), or a distributed unit (DU), or a base station in a future communication system, and the like. The eNB is a device deployed in a wireless access network to meet the fourth generation (4th generation, 4G) standard and provide wireless communication functions for terminals; the gNB is a device deployed in a wireless access network to meet the 5G standard and provide wireless communication functions for terminals.

[0136] The communication method provided by the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The method is described below by way of example of interaction between a network device and a terminal, without constituting any limitation on the present application. The network device can also be replaced by a component (such as a circuit, a chip, a chip system, a processor, etc.) configured in the network device, or a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the network device. The terminal can also be replaced by a communication module configured in the terminal, or a chip (such as a modem chip (also known as a baseband chip) or an SoC or SIP chip containing a modem core) responsible for communication functions in the terminal, etc.

[0137] FIG. 7 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 700 provided by an embodiment of the present application. Each step in the method 700 will be described in detail below. In the method shown in FIG. 7, the first information is indicated by the network device.

[0138] In step 710, the network device sends first information indicating the related information of the difference. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first information.

[0139] The difference is the difference between the propagation delay of the first satellite and the propagation delay of the second satellite, and / or the difference between the propagation distance of the first satellite and the propagation distance of the second satellite.

[0140] One possible design is that the propagation delay of a satellite can be understood as the propagation delay between a base station (an example of a network device) and the satellite + the propagation delay between the satellite and the terminal, for example, the propagation delay of the first satellite = the propagation delay between the base station and the first satellite + the propagation delay between the first satellite and the terminal. Similarly, the propagation distance of a satellite can be understood as the distance between the base station and the satellite + the distance between the satellite and the terminal, for example, the propagation distance of the first satellite = the distance between the base station and the first satellite + the distance between the first satellite and the terminal. The above design can be applicable, for example, in a transparent architecture.

[0141] Another possible design is that the propagation delay of a satellite can be understood as the propagation delay between the satellite (or the base station) and the terminal, for example, the propagation delay of the first satellite = the propagation delay between the first satellite and the terminal. Similarly, the propagation distance of a satellite can be understood as the distance between the satellite and the terminal, for example, the propagation distance of the first satellite = the distance between the first satellite and the terminal. The above design can be applicable, for example, in a regenerative architecture.

[0142] The propagation delay of the second satellite and the propagation distance of the second satellite are understood similarly to the first satellite, which will not be described here.

[0143] In addition, in the present application, the propagation delay can also be replaced by a round trip time (RTT).

[0144] In step 720, the terminal uses the first function based on the first information.

[0145] The first function is used for the terminal to determine the beam of the cell of the second satellite based on the timing / or the beam of the cell of the first satellite. The explanation about the cell of the first satellite and the cell of the second satellite can refer to FIG. 2, which will not be described in detail here. The present application does not limit the specific type of the cell of the first satellite and the cell of the second satellite. For example, the above-mentioned cell can be a ground quasi-stationary type, or a ground mobile type.

[0146] Regarding the first function, one possible design is that the first function is used for the terminal to determine the beam of the cell of the second satellite based on the timing of the cell of the first satellite. As an example but not limitation, the first function is used for the terminal to determine the beam of the cell of the first satellite based on the timing of the cell of the first satellite, and determine the beam of the cell of the second satellite based on the beam of the cell of the first satellite. Illustratively, the first function can be used for the terminal to determine the reception time of the beam of the cell of the first satellite based on the timing of the cell of the first satellite, and identify the beam of the cell of the first satellite. Further, the terminal can determine the beam of the cell of the second satellite based on the beam of the cell of the first satellite. For example, the terminal can determine the index of the beam of the cell of the second satellite based on the index of the beam of the cell of the first satellite.

[0147] Another possible design is that the first function is used for the terminal to determine the beam of the cell of the second satellite based on the beam of the cell of the first satellite. In this design, the beam of the cell of the first satellite can also be determined based on the timing of the cell of the first satellite.

[0148] Optionally, the first information indicates one or more of the following: difference information, change amount information, fluctuation information of the change amount, time period during which the change amount of the difference remains constant, validity period of the change amount of the difference, or validity period of the first function, the difference information is used to indicate the difference, the change amount information is used to indicate the change amount of the difference, and the fluctuation information of the change amount is used to indicate the fluctuation of the change amount of the difference.

[0149] The above-mentioned various information will be explained in detail as follows.

[0150] 1. Difference information: used to indicate the difference. The difference is the difference between the propagation delay of the first satellite and the propagation delay of the second satellite (which can be referred to as the propagation delay difference), and / or the difference between the propagation distance of the first satellite and the propagation distance of the second satellite (which can be referred to as the distance difference). For example, the difference information can indicate the propagation delay difference (s1) and / or the distance difference (d1) at the current time (such as t1).

[0151] 2、variation information: used to indicate the variation of the difference. For example, the variation information indicates the variation (e.g., △s) of the propagation delay difference and / or the variation (e.g., △d) of the distance difference.

[0152] It can be understood that, in the case that the variation of the difference is constant, the variation information includes, for example, one variation, that is, the difference varies according to the variation. Wherein, constant can mean that the variation remains unchanged or fluctuates within a certain range.

[0153] For example, the variation information includes △s1, at t1, the propagation delay difference is the propagation delay difference indicated in the difference information (e.g., s1), at t2, the propagation delay difference is s1+△s1, at t3, the propagation delay difference is s1+2△s1, and similarly, at tn, the propagation delay difference is s1+(n-1)△s1.

[0154] In the case that the variation of the difference is not constant, the variation information includes, for example, multiple variations.

[0155] For example, the variation information includes △s1, △s2, △s3, …, △sn, at t1, the propagation delay difference is the propagation delay difference indicated in the difference information (e.g., s1), at t2, the propagation delay difference is s1+△s1, at t3, the propagation delay difference is s1+△s1+△s2, and similarly, at tn+1, the propagation delay difference is s1+△s1+△s2+△s3+…+△sn. The above example takes the propagation delay difference as an example, but this should not constitute any limitation on the present application, and the propagation delay difference and the variation can also be replaced by the distance difference and the variation corresponding to the distance difference.

[0156] 3、variation fluctuation information: used to indicate the fluctuation of the variation of the difference. Wherein, the fluctuation of the variation of the difference includes, for example, but not limited to, one or more of the following: the range of fluctuation, the size of fluctuation, or the law of fluctuation. It can be understood that the terminal can determine the variation at each time based on the variation fluctuation information, and further determine the difference at each time.

[0157] For example, the variation fluctuation information indicates the range of fluctuation. For example, the fluctuation range of the variation is △s1 to △sn (the fluctuation amplitude may, for example, be m), at t1, the propagation delay difference is the propagation delay difference indicated in the difference information (e.g., s1), at t2, the propagation delay difference is s1+△s1, at t3, the propagation delay difference is s1+△s1+△s1+m, and so on, which will not be listed one by one here.

[0158] Another example, the fluctuation information of the change amount indicates the size of the fluctuation. For example, the fluctuation size of the change amount is m, and the terminal can determine the change amount at each time point in combination with the fluctuation size of the change amount and the initial change amount (which can be indicated in the change amount information), and further determine the difference value at each time point.

[0159] Yet another example, the fluctuation information of the change amount indicates the law of the fluctuation, for example, the change amount fluctuates m over time, and the change amount at t2 time point is △s1, and the change amount at t3 time point is △s1+m.

[0160] 4, the time period during which the change amount of the difference value remains constant: that is, the change amount of the difference value is constant within the time period. Wherein, constant can mean that the change amount remains unchanged or fluctuates within a certain range.

[0161] By way of example but not limitation, the time period during which the change amount of the difference value remains constant can be indicated by absolute time and / or relative time.

[0162] An example, the time period during which the change amount of the difference value remains constant can be indicated by a starting time point and / or an ending time point according to coordinated universal time (UTC) time.

[0163] Another example, the time period during which the change amount of the difference value remains constant can be indicated by a time length (for example, 20 subframes, 1 second, etc.) in units of frames / subframes / time slots / symbols / hours / minutes / seconds, etc.

[0164] In particular, the starting time point can be determined based on the time when the first information is received. For example, the time slot / symbol at which the first information is received is the starting time point.

[0165] Yet another example, the time period during which the change amount of the difference value remains constant can be indicated by a starting time point and a time length according to UTC time, and the time length can be in units of frames / subframes / time slots / symbols / hours / minutes / seconds, etc.

[0166] 5, the validity period of the change amount of the difference value: that is, the change amount of the difference value is valid within the time period, or in other words, the change amount of the difference value can be used within the time period. The indication method of the validity period of the change amount of the difference value can refer to the indication method of the time period during which the change amount remains constant, which will not be repeated here.

[0167] 6, the validity period of the first function: that is, the first function is valid within the time period, or in other words, the first function can be used within the time period. The indication method of the validity period of the first function can refer to the indication method of the time period during which the change amount remains constant, which will not be repeated here.

[0168] Optionally, the network device can send the first information when the first function is configured or enabled for the terminal (e.g., when the "deriveSSB-IndexFromCell" field is configured as TRUE). Here, the network device configuring or enabling the first function for the terminal can also be understood as the first function being enabled.

[0169] Optionally, the first function is used based on the first information in the following one or more cases: when the change amount of the difference value remains constant for a period of time; when the change amount of the difference value is valid for a period of time; when the first function is valid for a period of time; or, when the fluctuation of the change amount of the difference value is less than or equal to a first threshold.

[0170] Here, the first threshold can be predefined or indicated by the network device, which is not limited in the present application.

[0171] In one example, the first function is used when the change amount of the difference value remains constant for a period of time.

[0172] In another example, the first function is used when the change amount of the difference value is valid for a period of time.

[0173] In yet another example, the first function is used when the first function is valid for a period of time.

[0174] In still another example, the first function is used when the fluctuation of the change amount of the difference value is less than or equal to a first threshold.

[0175] In still another example, the timing of the cell of the first satellite and / or the cell of the second satellite is adjusted based on the difference value information and the change amount information, or based on the difference value information and the fluctuation information of the change amount, to use the first function. For example, the timing of the cell of the first satellite and / or the cell of the second satellite is adjusted based on the difference value information and the change amount information, or based on the difference value information and the fluctuation information of the change amount, to make the timing of the cell of the first satellite and the timing of the cell of the second satellite satisfy the condition for enabling the first function, such as the timing of the cell of the first satellite and the timing of the cell of the second satellite being the same or deviating within a preset range, thereby facilitating the terminal to use the first function.

[0176] Optionally, the method 700 further includes adjusting the timing of the cell of the first satellite and / or the cell of the second satellite based on the difference value information and the change amount information, or based on the difference value information and the fluctuation information of the change amount.

[0177] When the above conditions are met (located in the time period in which the change amount of the difference value remains constant; located in the valid period of the change amount of the difference value; located in the valid period of the first function; or, the fluctuation of the change amount of the difference value is less than or equal to the first threshold), the terminal can adjust the timing of the cell of the first satellite and / or the cell of the second satellite based on the above difference value information and change amount information, or based on the above difference value information and fluctuation information of the change amount, so that the timing of the cell of the first satellite and the timing of the cell of the second satellite meet the conditions for enabling the first function, such as the timing of the cell of the first satellite and the timing of the cell of the second satellite being the same or deviating within a preset range, thereby facilitating the terminal to use the above first function.

[0178] Optionally, the above method 700 further includes step 705: the terminal sends capability information, which is used to indicate whether the terminal supports adjusting the use of the first function. Correspondingly, the network device receives the above capability information.

[0179] The above capability information indicates whether to support adjusting the use of the first function, which can also be understood as the above capability information indicating whether the terminal supports using the first function based on the first information, or whether the terminal supports adjusting the use of the first function based on the first information.

[0180] A possible implementation is that the terminal sends capability information indicating that the terminal supports adjusting the use of the first function or the capability information indicating that the terminal does not support adjusting the use of the first function. Exemplarily, the terminal can indicate whether to support adjusting the use of the first function through a 1-bit bit, for example, the bit taking value 1 indicates that the terminal supports adjusting the use of the first function, and the bit taking value 0 indicates that the terminal does not support adjusting the use of the first function. For another example, the bit taking value 0 indicates that the terminal supports adjusting the use of the first function, and the bit taking value 1 indicates that the terminal does not support adjusting the use of the first function.

[0181] Another possible implementation is that the terminal sends the capability information, which indicates that the terminal supports adjusting the use of the first function; and the terminal does not send the capability information, which indicates that the terminal does not support adjusting the use of the first function.

[0182] Optionally, the network device can configure / turn on the first function for the terminal and / or send the first information in the case that the terminal supports adjusting the use of the first function.

[0183] Optionally, the above method 700 further includes: in the case that the first function is enabled, the terminal uses the first function to perform measurement based on a first measurement index in the RRM measurement process; or the terminal does not use the first function to perform measurement based on a second measurement index in the RRM measurement process, the first measurement index and the second measurement index being different.

[0184] That is, in the case that the first function is enabled at the network side, or in the case that the first function is turned on at the network side, the terminal can also determine whether to use the first function according to actual conditions, which is beneficial to improve the flexibility of use of the first function. When the terminal uses the first function, measurement is performed based on the first measurement index; when the terminal does not use the first function, measurement is performed based on the second measurement index.

[0185] The first measurement index and the second measurement index are different, which can be understood as that the indexes of the first measurement index and the second measurement index are different and / or the index values of the first measurement index and the second measurement index are different.

[0186] In an example, the indexes of the first measurement index and the second measurement index are different. For example, the first measurement index includes a delay index and an accuracy index, the second measurement index includes a delay index (or an accuracy index), and the first measurement index and the second measurement index are different.

[0187] In another example, the index values of the first measurement index and the second measurement index are different. For example, the first measurement index and the second measurement index both include a delay index, and the delay values in the first measurement index and the second measurement index are different, such as 1 second in the first measurement index and 2 seconds in the second measurement index.

[0188] In yet another example, the first measurement index and the second measurement index both include a delay index, but the delay indexes are different. For example, the delay index (denoted as a first delay) in the first measurement index includes T1, T2, and T3, and the delay index (denoted as a second delay) in the second measurement index includes T1, T2, and T4, where T1, T2, T3, and T4 can be considered as sub-delays, and a delay can include one or more sub-delays, that is, the sub-delays of the first delay and the second delay are different. In this application, the sub-delay can be understood as a delay corresponding to different operations in the RRM measurement process.

[0189] The network device indicates the related information of the above difference, so that the terminal can use the first function based on the above related information, that is, the terminal can determine the beam of the cell of the second satellite based on the timing or the beam of the cell of the first satellite, which provides a way to use the first function in the NTN scenario, and further in the NTN scenario, when the terminal performs beam-level measurement, the beam to the cell of the second satellite can be determined without decoding the reference signal, thereby saving the calculation amount in the beam-level measurement process and reducing the complexity of the beam-level measurement. In addition, in the above scheme, the terminal does not need to calculate the above related information, which is beneficial to reduce the calculation amount of the terminal, thereby reducing the complexity and saving the power consumption.

[0190] FIG. 8 is another schematic flowchart of a communication method 800 according to an embodiment of the present application. The steps in the method 800 are explained in detail below. In the method shown in FIG. 8, the first information is determined by the terminal.

[0191] In step 810, the network device sends second information, which indicates the satellite ephemeris. Accordingly, the terminal receives the second information.

[0192] The satellite ephemeris includes, for example, information such as orbital parameters, position, velocity, and time of the satellite. The satellite ephemeris can be used to determine information related to the difference, where the difference is the difference between the propagation delay of the first satellite and the propagation delay of the second satellite (which can be referred to as the propagation delay difference), and / or the difference between the propagation distance of the first satellite and the propagation distance of the second satellite (which can be referred to as the distance difference). For understanding of the propagation delay difference and the distance difference, reference can be made to step 710, which will not be repeated here.

[0193] In step 820, the terminal uses the first function based on the second information.

[0194] The first function is used by the terminal to determine the beam of the cell of the second satellite based on the timing / or beam of the cell of the first satellite. For explanation of the first function, reference can be made to step 720, which will not be repeated here.

[0195] It should be noted that the use of the first function based on the second information, or in other words, the use of the first function based on the second information, includes not only the use of the first function based only on the second information, but also the use of the first function based on the second information and other information. In addition, the use of the first function based on the second information can also include indirect cases, such as determining the first information based on the second information, and using the first function based on the first information.

[0196] The terminal receives the second information, and based on the second information, can determine the satellite ephemeris, and then use the first function based on the satellite ephemeris.

[0197] One possible implementation is that the terminal determines the first information based on the second information, where the first information includes information related to the difference, and uses the first function based on the first information.

[0198] For example, based on the satellite ephemeris, the terminal can determine the positions of the first satellite and the second satellite at the current time, and then based on the positions, can determine the distance difference at the current time, and in combination with the velocity, can determine the propagation delay difference at the current time. Further, based on the satellite ephemeris, the terminal can determine the motion trajectory and velocity of the first satellite and the second satellite, and then based on the motion trajectory and velocity, determine the change of the difference, such as the change amount of the difference.

[0199] Optionally, the first information comprises one or more of: difference information, change information, or fluctuation information of the change, wherein the difference information is used to indicate the difference, the change information is used to indicate the change of the difference, and the fluctuation information of the change is used to indicate the fluctuation of the change of the difference.

[0200] The explanation of the difference information, the change information, and the fluctuation information of the change can refer to FIG. 7, which will not be repeated here.

[0201] Optionally, the using the first function based on the first information comprises: using the first function in one or more of the following cases: the change of the difference remains constant for a time period; the fluctuation of the change of the difference is less than or equal to a first threshold; the change of the difference is less than or equal to a second threshold; or, the time period for which the change of the difference remains constant is greater than or equal to a third threshold.

[0202] In an example, the first function is used in the time period for which the change of the difference remains constant.

[0203] In another example, the first function is used in the case that the fluctuation of the change of the difference is less than or equal to the first threshold.

[0204] In yet another example, the first function is used in the case that the change of the difference is less than or equal to the second threshold.

[0205] In still another example, the first function is used in the case that the time period for which the change of the difference remains constant is greater than or equal to the third threshold.

[0206] In still another example, the timing of the cell of the first satellite and / or the cell of the second satellite is adjusted based on the difference information and the change information, or based on the difference information and the fluctuation information of the change, to use the first function. For example, the timing of the cell of the first satellite and / or the cell of the second satellite is adjusted based on the difference information and the change information, or based on the difference information and the fluctuation information of the change, to make the timing of the cell of the first satellite and the timing of the cell of the second satellite satisfy the condition for enabling the first function, such as the timing of the cell of the first satellite and the timing of the cell of the second satellite being the same or deviating within a preset range, so as to facilitate the terminal to use the first function.

[0207] Optionally, the method 800 further comprises: adjusting the timing of the cell of the first satellite and / or the cell of the second satellite based on the difference information and the change information, or based on the difference information and the fluctuation information of the change.

[0208] When the above conditions (the change amount of the difference value remains constant within a time period; the fluctuation of the change amount of the difference value is less than or equal to the first threshold value; the change amount of the difference value is less than or equal to the second threshold value; or the time period during which the change amount of the difference value remains constant is greater than or equal to the third threshold value) are met, the terminal can adjust the timing of the cell of the first satellite and / or the cell of the second satellite based on the above difference value information and change amount information, or based on the above difference value information and fluctuation information of the change amount, so that the timing of the cell of the first satellite and the timing of the cell of the second satellite meet the conditions for enabling the first function, such as the timing of the cell of the first satellite and the timing of the cell of the second satellite being the same or deviating within a preset range, thereby facilitating the terminal to use the above first function.

[0209] Optionally, the first threshold value, the second threshold value, and the third threshold value are predefined, or defined by a protocol, or indicated by a network device.

[0210] In an example, the network device sends third information indicating one or more of the first threshold value, the second threshold value, or the third threshold value, and the terminal receives the above third information accordingly.

[0211] The above first threshold value is a threshold value of the fluctuation of the change amount, that is, when the fluctuation of the change amount meets the first threshold value, the first function can be used. For example, the threshold value of the fluctuation of the change amount of the propagation delay difference value can be in units of frames / subframes / time slots / symbols / time / minutes / seconds, etc. The threshold value of the fluctuation of the change amount of the distance difference value can be in units of kilometers / meters, etc.

[0212] The above second threshold value is a threshold value of the change amount of the difference value, that is, when the change amount of the difference value meets the second threshold value, the first function can be used. For example, the threshold value of the change amount of the propagation delay difference value can be in units of frames / subframes / time slots / symbols / time / minutes / seconds, etc., such as the threshold value of the change amount of the propagation delay difference value being 2 symbols, and the terminal can use the first function when determining that the change amount of the propagation delay difference value does not exceed 2 symbols. The threshold value of the change amount of the distance difference value can be in units of kilometers / meters, etc.

[0213] The above third threshold value is a threshold value of the time period during which the change amount of the difference value remains constant, that is, when the time period during which the change amount of the difference value remains constant meets the third threshold value, the terminal can use the first function. In an example, the third threshold value can be in units of frames / subframes / time slots / symbols / time / minutes / seconds, etc. For example, when the third threshold value is 1 second, the terminal can use the first function within a constant time period when determining that the length of the time period during which the change amount of the difference value remains constant is not less than (i.e., greater than or equal to) 1 second, and can not use the function when determining that the length of the time period during which the change amount of the difference value remains constant is less than 1 second.

[0214] Optionally, the method 800 further includes step 805, the terminal sends capability information, the capability information is used to indicate whether the terminal supports adjusting the use of the first function. Correspondingly, the network device receives the capability information.

[0215] The capability information indicates whether the use of the first function is adjusted, which can also be understood as the capability information indicating whether the terminal supports using the first function based on the first information, or whether the terminal supports adjusting the use of the first function based on the first information. For specific implementation of the terminal sending the capability information, refer to FIG. 7, which will not be repeated here.

[0216] Optionally, the network device can configure / turn on the first function for the terminal and / or send the second information when the terminal supports adjusting the use of the first function.

[0217] In the above technical solution, the terminal can use the first function based on the satellite ephemeris, that is, the terminal can determine the beam of the cell of the second satellite based on the timing or beam of the cell of the first satellite, which provides a way to use the first function in the NTN scenario, and thus when the terminal performs beam-level measurement in the NTN scenario, the terminal can determine the beam of the cell of the second satellite without decoding the reference signal, thereby saving the calculation amount in the beam-level measurement process and reducing the complexity of the beam-level measurement.

[0218] Optionally, in the embodiments shown in FIG. 7 or FIG. 8, the reference signal of the beam can be SSB or CSI-RS. Taking SSB as an example, the determination of the beam of the cell of the second satellite based on the beam of the cell of the first satellite includes determining the SSB index of the cell of the second satellite based on the SSB index of the cell of the first satellite.

[0219] For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the terminal can determine the SSB index of the non-serving cell (an example of the cell of the second satellite) based on the SSB index of the serving cell (an example of the cell of the first satellite), for example, the terminal can determine the SSB 0 of the non-serving cell based on the SSB 0 of the serving cell; for another example, the terminal can determine the SSB 1 of the non-serving cell based on the SSB 1 of the serving cell; for another example, the terminal can determine the SSB 2 of the non-serving cell based on the SSB 2 of the serving cell.

[0220] In the above examples, the cell of the first satellite takes the serving cell as an example, and the cell of the second satellite takes the non-serving cell as an example, but this should not constitute any limitation on the embodiments of the present application.

[0221] For example, the first satellite can be a serving satellite of the terminal, and the cell of the first satellite includes a serving cell of the terminal; or, the first satellite and the second satellite can be non-serving satellites of the terminal, and the cell of the first satellite and the cell of the second satellite include non-serving cells of the terminal.

[0222] The serving satellite can be understood as a satellite to which a serving cell of the terminal belongs, or a satellite providing coverage of the serving cell of the terminal, etc. The non-serving satellite can be understood as a satellite other than the serving satellite.

[0223] A possible design is that the first satellite is a serving satellite of the terminal, the cell of the first satellite includes a serving cell of the terminal, the second satellite is a non-serving satellite of the terminal, the cell of the second satellite includes a non-serving cell of the terminal, and the first function can be used for the terminal to determine a beam of the non-serving cell based on timing of the serving cell, or used for the terminal to determine a beam of the non-serving cell based on a beam of the serving cell.

[0224] Another possible design is that the first satellite and the second satellite are non-serving satellites of the terminal, the cell of the first satellite and the cell of the second satellite include non-serving cells of the terminal, and the first function can be used for the terminal to determine a beam of a non-serving cell (e.g., a second non-serving cell) based on timing of a non-serving cell (e.g., a first non-serving cell), or used for the terminal to determine a beam of the second non-serving cell based on a beam of the first non-serving cell. Exemplarily, the terminal can determine the timing of the first non-serving cell based on a reference signal and / or system information of the first non-serving cell.

[0225] The above describes in detail the method provided by the embodiments of the present application with reference to the drawings. In the following, the apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present application is described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0226] FIG. 9 is a schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus 900 provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0227] As shown in FIG. 9, the communication apparatus 900 includes a processing module 910 and a transceiver module 920.

[0228] The transceiver module 920 can implement corresponding communication functions. The transceiver module 920 can also be referred to as an input / output interface or a communication unit. The processing module 910 can be used to perform processing operations. It should be understood that if the communication apparatus 900 is a component, such as a chip, configured in a network device or a terminal, the transceiver module 920 can be an input / output interface.

[0229] Optionally, the transceiver module 920 can include a sending module and / or a receiving module. The sending module is used to perform the sending operations of the network device or the terminal in FIG. 7 or FIG. 8, and the receiving module is used to perform the receiving operations of the network device or the terminal in FIG. 7 or FIG. 8.

[0230] It should be appreciated that when the communication apparatus 900 is a component configured in a network device or a terminal, such as a chip, the sending module can be an output interface, and the sending operation involved in the embodiments of the present application can be performed by the output interface; the receiving module can be an input interface, and the receiving operation involved in the embodiments of the present application can be performed by the input interface.

[0231] In one design, when the communication apparatus 900 is a terminal or a communication module in a terminal, the function of the processing module 910 can be implemented by one or more processors. Specifically, the processor can include a modem chip, or a system on chip (SoC) chip or a SIP chip including a modem core. The function of the transceiver module 920 can be implemented by a transceiver circuit.

[0232] In another design, when the communication apparatus 900 is a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions in a terminal, such as a modem chip or a system on chip (SoC) chip or a SIP chip including a modem core, the function of the processing module 910 can be implemented by the circuit system including one or more processors or processor cores in the above chip. The function of the transceiver module 920 can be implemented by the interface circuit or data transceiver circuit on the above chip.

[0233] Optionally, the communication apparatus 900 can further include a storage module, which can be used to store instructions and / or data. The processing module 910 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage module, so that the apparatus implements the method embodiments shown in FIG. 7 or FIG. 8.

[0234] In one possible design, the above communication apparatus 900 can be used to implement the functions of the terminal in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 7, or the above communication apparatus 900 can include a unit for implementing any function or operation of the terminal in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 7, and the unit can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof, in whole or in part.

[0235] When the communication apparatus 900 is used to implement the functions of the terminal in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 7, the transceiver module 920 (specifically, the receiving module) is configured to receive first information, the first information being used to indicate related information of a difference, the difference being a difference between a propagation delay of a first satellite and a propagation delay of a second satellite, and / or a difference between a propagation distance of the first satellite and a propagation distance of the second satellite; and the processing module 910 is configured to use a first function based on the first information, the first function being used by the terminal to determine a beam of a cell of the second satellite based on a timing of a cell of the first satellite and / or a beam of the cell of the first satellite.

[0236] Optionally, the transceiver 920 (specifically, the sending module) can also be configured to perform step 705 in FIG. 7, and send capability information, the capability information being used to indicate whether the terminal supports adjusting the use of the first function.

[0237] Optionally, the first information indicates one or more of the following: difference information, change amount information, change amount fluctuation information, a time period during which the change amount of the difference remains constant, a validity period of the change amount of the difference, or a validity period of the first function, the difference information being used to indicate the difference, the change amount information being used to indicate the change amount of the difference, and the change amount fluctuation information being used to indicate the fluctuation of the change amount of the difference.

[0238] Optionally, the processing module 910 is specifically configured to use the first function in one or more of the following cases: within the time period during which the change amount of the difference remains constant, within the validity period of the change amount of the difference, within the validity period of the first function, or the fluctuation of the change amount of the difference is less than or equal to a first threshold.

[0239] Optionally, the processing module 910 is further configured to adjust the timing of the cell of the first satellite and / or the cell of the second satellite based on the difference information and the change amount information, or based on the difference information and the change amount fluctuation information.

[0240] Optionally, the processing module 910 is further configured to, in a case where the first function is enabled, use the first function by the terminal to perform measurement based on a first measurement index during the RRM measurement process, or not use the first function by the terminal to perform measurement based on a second measurement index during the RRM measurement process, the first measurement index and the second measurement index being different.

[0241] Optionally, the first function is used by the terminal to determine the beam of the cell of the second satellite based on the timing of the cell of the first satellite, including that the first function is used by the terminal to determine the beam of the cell of the first satellite based on the timing of the cell of the first satellite, and determine the beam of the cell of the second satellite based on the beam of the cell of the first satellite.

[0242] Optionally, the reference signal of the beam is an SSB, and determining the beam of the cell of the second satellite based on the beam of the cell of the first satellite includes determining the SSB index of the cell of the second satellite based on the SSB index of the cell of the first satellite.

[0243] Optionally, the first satellite is a serving satellite of the terminal, and the cell of the first satellite includes a serving cell of the terminal, or the first satellite and the second satellite are non-serving satellites of the terminal, and the cell of the first satellite and the cell of the second satellite include non-serving cells of the terminal.

[0244] In another possible design, the communication apparatus 900 can be configured to implement the functions of the network device in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 7, or the communication apparatus 900 can include units configured to implement any function or operation of the network device in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 7, and the units can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof, in whole or in part.

[0245] When the communication apparatus 900 is configured to implement the functions of the network device in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 7, the transceiver 920 (which can be specifically a sending module) can be configured to perform step 710 in FIG. 7, and send the first information, where the first information is used to indicate the information related to the difference, and the difference is the difference between the propagation delay of the first satellite and the propagation delay of the second satellite, and / or the difference between the propagation distance of the first satellite and the propagation distance of the second satellite.

[0246] Optionally, the transceiver 920 (which can be specifically a receiving module) is further configured to receive the capability information, where the capability information is used to indicate whether the terminal supports adjusting the use of the first function.

[0247] In yet another possible design, the communication apparatus 900 can be configured to implement the functions of the terminal in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 8, or the communication apparatus 900 can include units configured to implement any function or operation of the terminal in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 8, and the units can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof, in whole or in part.

[0248] When the communication apparatus 900 is configured to implement the functions of the terminal in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 8, the transceiver 920 (which can be specifically a receiving module) is configured to receive the second information, where the second information is used to indicate the satellite ephemeris; and the processing module 910 is configured to use the first function based on the second information, where the first function is used by the terminal to determine the beam of the cell of the second satellite based on the timing / or beam of the cell of the first satellite.

[0249] Optionally, the processing module 910 is specifically configured to determine the first information based on the second information, where the first information includes the information related to the difference, and the difference is the difference between the propagation delay of the first satellite and the propagation delay of the second satellite, and / or the difference between the propagation distance of the first satellite and the propagation distance of the second satellite; and use the first function based on the first information.

[0250] Optionally, the transceiver 920 (which can be specifically a sending module) is further configured to perform step 805 in FIG. 8, and send the capability information, where the capability information is used to indicate whether the terminal supports adjusting the use of the first function.

[0251] Optionally, the first information comprises one or more of: difference information, change information, or fluctuation information of the change, wherein the difference information is used to indicate the difference, the change information is used to indicate the change of the difference, and the fluctuation information of the change is used to indicate the fluctuation of the change of the difference.

[0252] Optionally, the processing module 910 is specifically configured to use the first function in one or more of the following cases: the change of the difference remains constant within a time period; the fluctuation of the change of the difference is less than or equal to a first threshold; the change of the difference is less than or equal to a second threshold; or, the time period during which the change of the difference remains constant is greater than or equal to a third threshold.

[0253] Optionally, the first threshold, the second threshold, and the third threshold are predefined or indicated by the network device.

[0254] Optionally, the processing module 910 is further configured to adjust the timing of the cell of the first satellite and / or the cell of the second satellite based on the difference information and the change information, or based on the difference information and the fluctuation information of the change.

[0255] Optionally, the processing module 910 is further configured to, in the case that the first function is enabled, use the first function by the terminal to perform measurement based on a first measurement index during the RRM measurement process, or not use the first function by the terminal to perform measurement based on a second measurement index during the RRM measurement process, the first measurement index and the second measurement index being different.

[0256] Optionally, the first function is used by the terminal to determine the beam of the cell of the second satellite based on the timing of the cell of the first satellite, comprising: the first function is used by the terminal to determine the beam of the cell of the first satellite based on the timing of the cell of the first satellite, and determine the beam of the cell of the second satellite based on the beam of the cell of the first satellite.

[0257] Optionally, the reference signal of the beam is an SSB; and determining the beam of the cell of the second satellite based on the beam of the cell of the first satellite comprises: determining the SSB index of the cell of the second satellite based on the SSB index of the cell of the first satellite.

[0258] Optionally, the first satellite is a serving satellite of the terminal, and the cell of the first satellite comprises a serving cell of the terminal; or the first satellite and the second satellite are non-serving satellites of the terminal, and the cell of the first satellite and the cell of the second satellite comprise non-serving cells of the terminal.

[0259] Optionally, the propagation delay of the first satellite is the propagation delay between the first satellite and the network device plus the propagation delay between the first satellite and the terminal, and the propagation delay of the second satellite is the propagation delay between the second satellite and the network device plus the propagation delay between the second satellite and the terminal; or, the propagation delay of the first satellite is the propagation delay between the first satellite and the terminal, and the propagation delay of the second satellite is the propagation delay between the second satellite and the terminal.

[0260] Optionally, the propagation distance of the first satellite is the propagation distance between the first satellite and the network device plus the propagation distance between the first satellite and the terminal, and the propagation distance of the second satellite is the propagation distance between the second satellite and the network device plus the propagation distance between the second satellite and the terminal; or, the propagation distance of the first satellite is the propagation distance between the first satellite and the terminal, and the propagation distance of the second satellite is the propagation distance between the second satellite and the terminal.

[0261] More detailed description of the processing module 910 and the transceiver module 920 can be directly obtained by referring to the related description in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 7 or FIG. 8, which will not be repeated here.

[0262] It should be noted that the transceiver module can also be referred to as a transceiver unit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a transceiver device, etc. The processing module can also be referred to as a processor, a processing board, a processing unit, or a processing device, etc. Optionally, the transceiver module is used to perform the sending operation and the receiving operation of the terminal or the network device in the above method, and the devices in the communication module for realizing the receiving function can be regarded as a receiving module, and the devices in the communication module for realizing the sending function can be regarded as a sending module, that is, the transceiver module includes the receiving module and the sending module.

[0263] In addition, in a possible design, the foregoing transceiver module and / or processing module can be implemented by a virtual module, for example, the processing module can be implemented by a software function module or a virtual device, and the transceiver module can be implemented by a software function module or a virtual device. In another possible design, the processing module or the transceiver module can also be implemented by an entity device, for example, if the device is implemented by a chip / chip circuit, the transceiver module can be an input / output circuit and / or a communication interface, which performs an input operation (corresponding to the foregoing receiving operation) and an output operation (corresponding to the foregoing sending operation); the processing module is an integrated processor or a microprocessor or an integrated circuit.

[0264] It should be understood that the division of modules in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative, and is only a logical function division. Actual implementation can have another division manner. In addition, each function module in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated in one processor, or can be a separate physical existence, or two or more modules can be integrated in one module. The integrated module can be realized in the form of hardware or in the form of a software function module.

[0265] FIG. 10 is another schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus 1000 provided by the embodiments of the present application. The communication apparatus 1000 can be a chip system, or can also be an apparatus configured with a chip system for implementing the method embodiments described above. In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can contain a chip and other discrete devices.

[0266] As shown in FIG. 10, the communication apparatus 1000 can include a processor 1010, which can be used to execute computer programs or instructions in the memory to implement the steps performed by the terminal or the steps performed by the network device in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 7 or FIG. 8.

[0267] Optionally, the communication apparatus 1000 further includes a communication interface 1020. The communication interface 1020 can be used to communicate with other devices through a transmission medium, so that the communication apparatus 1000 can communicate with other devices. The communication interface 1020 can be, for example, a transceiver, an interface, a bus, a circuit or a device capable of realizing the transceiving function. The processor 1010 can input and output data through the communication interface 1020, and is used to implement the method described in the embodiments shown in FIG. 7 or FIG. 8. Specifically, the communication apparatus 1000 can be used to implement the functions of the network device or the terminal in the method embodiments described above.

[0268] When the communication apparatus 1000 is used to implement the steps performed by the terminal in the method shown in FIG. 7 or FIG. 8, the processor 1010 is used to implement the functions of the processing module 910 described above, for example, to perform the step 720 in FIG. 7, and the communication interface 1020 is used to implement the functions of the transceiving module 920 described above, for example, to perform the steps 705 and 710 in FIG. 7.

[0269] Optionally, the communication apparatus 1000 further includes at least one memory 1030 for storing program instructions and / or data. The memory 1030 is coupled to the processor 1010. The coupling between the units, modules or components in the embodiments of the present application is indirect coupling or communication connection between the units, modules or components, which can be electrical, mechanical or other form, for information interaction between the units, modules or components. The processor 1010 can operate in cooperation with the memory 1030. The processor 1010 can execute program instructions stored in the memory 1030. The memory 1030 can be included in the processor 1010 or separately deployed, which is not limited in the present application. For example, at least one of the at least one memory can be included in the processor.

[0270] It should be understood that the coupling between the units, modules or components in the embodiments of the present application is indirect coupling or communication connection between the units, modules or components, which can be electrical, mechanical or other form, for information interaction between the units, modules or components. The processor 1010 can operate in cooperation with the memory 1030. The specific connection medium between the processor 1010, the communication interface 1020 and the memory 1030 is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. In FIG. 10, the processor 1010, the communication interface 1020 and the memory 1030 are connected through the bus 1040. The bus 1040 is represented by a thick line in FIG. 10, and the connection mode between other components is only schematically illustrated and is not limited. The bus can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For convenience of representation, only one thick line is used to represent the bus in FIG. 10, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0271] It should be understood that when the above communication apparatus 1000 is a chip applied to a terminal, the chip realizes the functions of the terminal in the above method embodiments. The chip of the terminal receives a signal from other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the terminal, and the signal can be sent by a network device to the terminal; or the chip of the terminal sends a signal to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the terminal, and the signal can be sent by the terminal to the network.

[0272] When the communication apparatus 1000 is a chip applied to a network device, the chip implements the functions of the network device in the method embodiments. The network device chip receives signals from other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the network device, and the signals can be sent by a terminal to the network device. Alternatively, the network device chip sends signals to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the network device, and the signals can be sent by the network device to the terminal.

[0273] It should be noted that when the communication apparatus 1000 is a terminal or a network device, the communication interface 1020 can be a transceiver, which can specifically include a transmitter and / or a receiver, the transmitter is used to send signals, and the receiver is used to receive signals. When the communication apparatus 1000 is a chip applied to a terminal or a network device, the communication interface 1020 can be an input / output circuit, a bus, a module, a pin, or other types of communication interfaces, wherein the input circuit in the input / output circuit can be used for receiving, and the output interface can be used for sending. For example, when the communication apparatus 1000 is used to execute the steps performed by the terminal in the method shown in FIG. 7, the input circuit can be used to execute step 710; and the output interface can be used to execute step 705. When the communication apparatus 1000 is used to execute the steps performed by the network device in the method shown in FIG. 7, the input circuit can be used to execute step 705; and the output interface can be used to execute step 710.

[0274] The present application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions), which can implement the method in the embodiments shown in FIG. 7 or FIG. 8 when the computer program is executed.

[0275] The present application also provides a computer readable storage medium, which stores a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions). The computer program can implement the method in the embodiments shown in FIG. 7 or FIG. 8 when the computer program is executed.

[0276] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a terminal chip according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0277] As shown in FIG. 11, the terminal chip mainly includes a baseband subsystem, a radio frequency subsystem, a power management subsystem, and peripherals (storage, external interface), etc. The baseband subsystem is used to be responsible for application layer processing, external interface, and layer (layer 3, L3) / L2 / L1 communication protocol processing. The radio frequency subsystem is used to convert spatial electromagnetic waves into electrical signals, and to perform amplification and filtering functions, so as to achieve excellent coverage targets. The radio frequency subsystem is connected with the baseband subsystem to complete the frequency conversion and non-linear distortion correction of analog signals. The power management subsystem is used to provide power management functions for the communication baseband chip.

[0278] FIG. 12 is another schematic diagram of a terminal chip according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0279] As shown in FIG. 12, the terminal chip includes a high-layer protocol processor, a physical-layer protocol processor, and a baseband hardware processor, and the processing flow is high-layer protocol processor, physical-layer protocol processor, and baseband hardware processor in sequence. The high-layer protocol processor is configured to implement processing of a high-layer protocol (L2 / L3), support coding and decoding functions such as abstract syntax notation one (ASN.1), and support standard air interface encryption and decryption, integrity protection algorithm, and the like. The physical-layer protocol processor is configured to implement physical-layer processing, complete downlink network searching, time-frequency tracking, measurement, channel estimation, demodulation, and decoding, and uplink encoding, modulation, and time-frequency offset adjustment. The baseband hardware processor is configured to complete baseband system security booting and security starting, and complete protocol layer processing (L1 / L2 / L3), and the like.

[0280] The embodiments of the present application further provide a communication system, which includes the terminal and the network device as described above.

[0281] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application can be an integrated circuit chip with processing capability of signals. In the implementation process, each step of the method embodiments can be completed by integrated logic circuits or instructions in the form of software in the processor. The processor can be a general processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components. Each method, step and logic block diagram disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can be any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as a hardware coding processor for execution, or a combination of hardware and software modules in the coding processor for execution. The software module can be located in a random access memory, a flash memory, a read only memory, a programmable read only memory or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, or other mature storage media in the art. The storage medium is located in the storage memory, and the processor reads the information in the storage memory and combines the hardware to complete the steps of the above method.

[0282] It should also be understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application can be a volatile memory or a nonvolatile memory, or can include both volatile and nonvolatile memory. Among them, the nonvolatile memory can be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically EPROM (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory can be a random access memory (RAM) used as an external cache. By way of example, and not limitation, many forms of RAM can be used, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the system and method described herein is intended to include, but not be limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0283] The terms "unit", "module" and the like used in the specification can be used to represent a computer-related entity, hardware, firmware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. The units and modules in the embodiments of the present application have the same meaning and can be used interchangeably.

[0284] Those of skill would further appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. The choice of hardware or software, or combinations of both, would be dependent on the specific application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans can implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present application. In several embodiments provided in the present application, it will be apparent that the disclosed devices, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the described device embodiments are merely illustrative, and the division into units is merely a logical function division, and actual implementation can have another division, for example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be omitted or not implemented. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units shown or discussed can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, and can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0285] The units described as separate components can or can not be physically separate, and the components shown as units can or can not be physical units, i.e., they can be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Part or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiments.

[0286] In addition, the functional units in each of the embodiments of the present application can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can be physically present separately, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit.

[0287] In the above embodiments, the functions of the various functional units can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, the software can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions (programs). When the computer program instructions (programs) are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are wholly or partially generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another, for example, the computer instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server or data center to another via wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) manner. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. integrated with one or more available media. The available media can be magnetic media (for example, floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), optical media (for example, digital video disc (DVD)), or semiconductor media (for example, solid state disk (SSD)) and the like.

[0288] The functions, if implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the present application essentially or the parts that make a contribution to the technology or parts of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes a number of instructions to make a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a ROM, a RAM, a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and various media that can store program codes.

[0289] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be covered within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method applied to a terminal comprises: receiving first information, the first information being used to indicate information related to a difference, the difference being a difference between a propagation delay of a first satellite and a propagation delay of a second satellite, and / or a difference between a propagation distance of the first satellite and a propagation distance of the second satellite; based on the first information, using a first function, the first function being used for the terminal to determine a beam of a cell of the second satellite based on a timing / or a beam of a cell of the first satellite.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first information indicates one or more of: difference information used to indicate the difference, change information used to indicate a change of the difference, fluctuation information of the change of the difference, a time period during which the change of the difference remains constant, a validity period of the change of the difference, or a validity period of the first function.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The using the first function based on the first information comprises: using the first function in a case that one or more of: the time period during which the change of the difference remains constant is met; the validity period of the change of the difference is met; the validity period of the first function is met; or, a fluctuation of the change of the difference is less than or equal to a first threshold.

4. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method applied to a terminal comprises: receiving second information, the second information indicating satellite ephemeris; based on the second information, using a first function, the first function being used for the terminal to determine a beam of a cell of a second satellite based on a timing / or a beam of a cell of a first satellite.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The using the first function based on the second information comprises: based on the second information, determining first information, the first information comprising information related to a difference, the difference being a difference between a propagation delay of the first satellite and a propagation delay of the second satellite, and / or a difference between a propagation distance of the first satellite and a propagation distance of the second satellite; based on the first information, using the first function.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, The first information comprises one or more of: difference information used to indicate the difference, change information used to indicate a change of the difference, or fluctuation information of the change of the difference.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The using the first function based on the first information comprises: using the first function in a case that one or more of: the time period during which the change of the difference remains constant is met; a fluctuation of the change of the difference is less than or equal to a first threshold; the change of the difference is less than or equal to a second threshold; or, the time period during which the change of the difference remains constant is greater than or equal to a third threshold.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The first threshold, the second threshold and the third threshold are predefined or indicated by a network device.

9. The method of any one of claims 2, 3, 6-8, wherein, The method further comprises: adjusting a timing of a cell of the first satellite and / or a cell of the second satellite based on the difference information and the change information, or based on the difference information and the fluctuation information of the change of the difference.

10. The method of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein, The method further comprises: transmit capability information, the capability information being used to indicate whether the terminal supports adjusting usage of the first function.

11. The method of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein, The method further includes: in a case where the first function is enabled, the terminal uses the first function to perform measurement based on a first measurement index in a radio resource management (RRM) measurement procedure; or the terminal does not use the first function to perform measurement based on a second measurement index in the RRM measurement procedure, the first measurement index and the second measurement index being different.

12. The method of any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein, The first function is used for the terminal to determine a beam of a cell of the second satellite based on timing of a cell of the first satellite, including: The first function is used for the terminal to determine a beam of a cell of the first satellite based on timing of the cell of the first satellite, and to determine a beam of a cell of the second satellite based on the beam of the cell of the first satellite.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The reference signal of the beam is a synchronization signal block (SSB); and the determination of the beam of the cell of the second satellite based on the beam of the cell of the first satellite includes determination of an SSB index of the cell of the second satellite based on an SSB index of the cell of the first satellite.

14. The method of any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein, The first satellite is a serving satellite of the terminal, and the cell of the first satellite includes a serving cell of the terminal; or the first satellite and the second satellite are non-serving satellites of the terminal, and the cell of the first satellite and the cell of the second satellite include non-serving cells of the terminal.

15. A method of communication, comprising: The method applied to a network device includes: transmitting first information, the first information being used to indicate related information of a difference value, the difference value being a difference between a propagation delay of a first satellite and a propagation delay of a second satellite, and / or a difference between a propagation distance of the first satellite and a propagation distance of the second satellite.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein, The first information indicates one or more of the following: difference value information used to indicate the difference value, change amount information used to indicate a change amount of the difference value, fluctuation information of the change amount, a time period during which the change amount of the difference value remains constant, a validity period of the change amount of the difference value, or a validity period of the first function.

17. The method of claim 15 or 16, wherein, The method further includes: receiving capability information, the capability information being used to indicate whether a terminal supports adjusting usage of the first function.

18. The method of any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein, The propagation delay of the first satellite is a propagation delay between the first satellite and a network device + a propagation delay between the first satellite and a terminal, and the propagation delay of the second satellite is a propagation delay between the second satellite and the network device + a propagation delay between the second satellite and the terminal; or, the propagation delay of the first satellite is a propagation delay between the first satellite and a terminal, and the propagation delay of the second satellite is a propagation delay between the second satellite and the terminal.

19. The method of any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein, The propagation distance of the first satellite is the propagation distance between the first satellite and the network device + the propagation distance between the first satellite and the terminal, and the propagation distance of the second satellite is the propagation distance between the second satellite and the network device + the propagation distance between the second satellite and the terminal; or, the propagation distance of the first satellite is the propagation distance between the first satellite and the terminal, and the propagation distance of the second satellite is the propagation distance between the second satellite and the terminal.

20. A communications device, characterized by A module for implementing the method of any one of claims 1 to 19.

21. A communications device, characterized by A processor for invoking a computer program in a memory to enable the communication device to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 19.

22. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium has stored therein a computer program or instructions which, when executed, implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 19.

23. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product includes instructions which, when executed, implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 19.

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